Many of these items pertain to domestic policy and ways to bolster the middle class, in his view (Getting legislation passed through a Republican-denominated Congress is another matter). One of President Obama’s pet issues is paid sick leave for employees. He is urging Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, first proposed by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) in 2005, during the Bush Administration.
The bill, as the White House envisions it, would guarantee workers of firms with at least 15 employees paid time off to treat their own illness; care for sick family members; access preventive care; and even seek help for incidents of domestic violence.
As with the minimum wage, some states and municipalities have begun to pass their own laws and ordinances requiring paid time off in the absence of a national law. These include Portland, Oregon and San Francisco (both now part of state-wide laws), Washington, DC, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Additionally, President Obama is proposing a law that allows for paid family leave for federal employees. These measures, while intended to help working families, will surely face pushback by companies and HR departments already seeing rising employee costs from the Affordable Care Act.